Slow Racers

By Andrea Peck

Though snails are exceedingly slow, there is one thing I'd like to know. If I out run ‘em round the yard, how come they beat me to the chard?

Allen Klein

They come at night, slopping along on one well-developed stump of a leg, leaving miniature footpaths that shimmer in the daylight. The slowest of the slow movers, slugs and snails raid your garden in the depths of darkness; they hide during the day, burrowing into the soil, concealed by their earth-colored markings. They are the pest equivalent of the tortoise.

We hardly take them seriously.

Children love them - they are so easy to catch! Their pokey eyes – so fun!

Adults are just as ridiculous. I'm embarrassed to admit that I, myself, have a garden gnome that rides John-Wayne like on the top of a plaster snail. The incongruity is striking as he sits in suspended motion, his eyes glued to the horizon. They are a stern and solemn duo, certainly the antithesis of what one would normally expect. Shouldn't a gnome be frolicky and cavortish? Aren't snails loveable and goofy?

Contrary to our slightly hysterical fondness for the mollusk family, snails and their smaller brethren, slugs, are serious pests. You may have a hand towel embroidered with a happy snail congregation, but the real-life artifact is a problematic creature that is a significant threat to the agricultural industry worldwide.

Besides their penchant for chewing raggedy holes in your lettuce, these creatures are unclean, disease transmitters. Do not mistake their slime for the animal version of antiseptic hand sanitizer. Don't be fooled by that boastful swagger, either. That floaty bottom contains the pathogen equivalent of Linus' blanket. It's like an invisible shopping cart of dirt truckin' on by. Perhaps this is the real reason that their movement is so protracted.

You may remember the 2007 E. coli outbreak that resulted in a recall of spinach. It is now believed that snails and slugs, a common vector for human and plant pathogens, may be partially responsible for the outbreak. Yes, the seemingly harmless snail is quite capable of transmitting disease as it slimes along with its squeegee body.

If you are a Master Gardener, you may have watched the following education video about snails and slugs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfgpZd4F-ZQ

For those of you who have not seen the video, I can tell you a few tidbits that I found somewhat shocking. Because of the copious amounts of mucous that snails and slugs exude, they are able to move smoothly over broken glass and remain unharmed. Better yet, snails have teeth. For some reason, I always imagined them as the gummy senior citizens of the pest world – certainly I had no idea that they had teeth. Sharp teeth. In fact, their teeth are sharper than those of a shark. There are many varieties of snails and slugs; over 200 live and thrive in California alone. But one, the Cuban slug, is actually dangerous. The Cuban slug has been known to transmit a nematode called Angiostrongylus cantonensis which is a parasite carried by rats. The parasite has been known to infect humans, causing eosiniphilic meningitis. Infection occurs when the parasite is ingested. Raw and undercooked foods are generally the culprit. The illness has resulted in a number of fatalities; however, the vast majority of those infected do recover.

Looking at the dark side is never pretty – especially when it is the iconic snail or slug. Nevertheless, it is wise to keep your eyes open – the Cuban slug has been spotted in Santa Barbara County. I am all for picking slugs while I pick the daisies – just don't forget to don your gloves.

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